2021 NIMAs enjoy ‘incredible’ response as The Kid Laroi, Baker Boy lead

For the second straight year, the pandemic reshaped plans for the National Indigenous Music Awards 2021.

So again, organisers went back to the drawing board, reinvented the ceremony, and the response “has been incredible.”

Held Sunday (Nov. 14), the NIMAs proved a successful outing for The Kid Laroi, Budjerah, Baker Boy, Miiesha and others.

As previously reported, border closures changes the look of this year’s ceremony. Instead of scrapping the event, organisers redrew the show as a virtual one, with support from triple j’s First Nations show Blak Out, which beamed out via triple j, Double J and triple j Unearthed, and was made available to First Nations community radio stations via The National Indigenous Radio Service.

“While it may not have been under the stars in Darwin, this year’s NIMAs was no less a celebration of excellence and achievement,” Benjamin Graetz Creative Director of NIMAs 2021, tells TIO.

“Hearing the winning artists talk from the heart of what this recognition means for them drove home how important this event really is.”

Watch Baker Boy’s ‘Ride’ ft. Yirrmal:

The prestigious Artist of the Year Award went to The Kid LAROI, who has enjoyed the kind of year most artists can only dream of.

The Kamilaroi singer and rapper’s collaboration with Justin Bieber, ”Stay,” has logged multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the U.S. all-genres, all-formats chart.

In doing so, he became the first Indigenous solo Australian artist to lead the chart.

Also this year, LAROI’s mixtape F*ck Love hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, a full year and two weeks after its release, and the recording made him the youngest Australian solo artist (at 17) to have a No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Also making the NIMAs winner’s list is Bundjalung rapper JK-47, who won Album of the Year for Made For This; Aṉangu/Torres Strait Islander artist Miiesha took out Song of the Year for ‘Damaged’ (written with Stephen Collins); Coodjinburra artist Budjerah won Best New Talent of the Year, and, fresh from dropping his debut album Gela, Baker Boy earned Best Film Clip of the Year for ‘Ride’ ft. Yirrmal.

Stream Miiesha’s ‘Damaged’:

In one of the highlights of the ceremony, Kev Carmody was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“While we look forward to getting back to a live event in 2022,” notes Graetz, “this year’s partnership with Blak Out at triple j took the awards out across the country and the response so far has been incredible.”

A celebration of music, song, dance, and the oldest surviving culture on the planet, the NIMAs are supported by the Territory Government and in association with Darwin Festival.

The National Indigenous Music Awards 2021 Winners

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Kid Laroi

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
JK-47 – Made For This

SONG OF THE YEAR
Miiesha – Damaged
Song Writers: Miiesha Young/Stephen Collins

NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR
Budjerah

FILM CLIP OF THE YEAR
Baker Boy – Ride Feat. Yirrmal

INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE AWARD OF THE YEAR
Guwanbal Gurruwiwi and Netanela Mizrahi – The Djari Project
Composed by: Guwanbal Gurruwiwi and Netanela Mizrahi
Conducted/Directors: Nick Yates / Netanela Mizrahi / Christie Anderson
Co-Producers: Netanela Mizrahi & Myles Mumford

COMMUNITY CLIP OF THE YEAR
Kakadu Collective & Victor Rostron – Mayali
Directors: Toby Finlayson (Desert Pea Media) / Rob Sherwood / Victor Rostron
Producer: Josh Nicholas

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.